Uneventful survival of a rural child after penetrating cardiac injury by a thorn: a case report.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Paediatric penetrating cardiac injury is extremely rare, precluding published management guidelines, therefore warranting a case-by-case approach with learning points gleaned from each case.

Case summary

A 7-year-old boy presented to a rural hospital with a stab wound to the chest by a Withaak (Vachellia tortilis) thorn. The patient was haemodynamically stable on presentation, but a 2 cm subcutaneous, pulsatile mass was present at the cardiac apex. Echocardiography revealed a foreign body penetrating from the apex into the heart, with evidence for a fistula between a cardiac chamber and the pulsatile mass. Angiography confirmed the existence of the fistula between the right ventricle (RV) and the pulsatile mass. A controlled extraction under general anaesth

SUBMITTER: De Decker R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6764539 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature